1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to canes used by individuals as an aid to the walking process and, more particularly, to, and even more particularly, to improved tip and handle designs for walking canes for enhanced mobility.
2. Description of the Background
Canes (i.e. walking devices) used by individuals to enhance their mobility have not changed significantly over the centuries. Statistics indicate that there are over ten million people in the United States alone that rely on the use of canes on a daily basis. Many of those individuals find their canes to be a cumbersome aid in improving their quality of life. While canes remain somewhat functional as ambulatory aids, they do not, except for serving to steady those who use them, address the practical requirements for mobility in the every day life of 21st century mankind.
The deficiencies inherent in the design of a typical cane are many. While a cane is intended to enhance an individual's mobility, it provides no assistance in rising from the ground. This is an all-too-common necessity among cane users, whether after intentionally kneeling, or in the event of a fall. The latter case is even more problematic if it happens when there is no one else around to offer any amount of assistance.
In addition, when a conventional cane is not being used it must be precisely positioned, perpendicular to the ground, against a vertical surface (e.g. wall, car door). Otherwise the cane will simply fall to the ground.
Conventional canes have a tip, or foot, (1) that is round in cross-section, (2) provides minimal surface contact due to its being flat on the bottom, (3) offers only minimal resistance to slip on wet surfaces due, in large part, to the aforementioned minimal surface contact, (4) cannot be utilized to traverse sand (e.g. at the beach), (5) cannot be used to hold open doors for passage by the cane's user, or as a courtesy to others, due to the typical presence of a circumferential protrusion positioned roughly ¼″ to ⅜″ from its bottom surface that gets caught under the edge of the door, and (6) generally wears out (requiring replacement) in two to three months.
Finally, by definition, the handle of a typical cane requires that it be grasped by one of the user's hands, thereby occupying that hand and preventing holding onto any one of a number of small, hand-held devices. An example of this dilemma is the opening of a car door. When a cane user carrying, for example, a briefcase in his/her other hand goes to unlock a car door, either the cane or the briefcase must be set aside in order to retrieve the car key, or keyless transmitter, required to gain access into the vehicle.
To the best of the knowledge of the present inventor, no prior cane design intended to address all of the problems outlined above exists. Consequently, it would be greatly advantageous to provide a cane that (1) provides the user with the ability to rise to a standing position (e.g. after falling) without requiring the assistance of another, (2) offers resistance to falling over when leaned against a vertical surface, (3) significantly improves the design and ergonomic utility of its foot, (4) possesses an ability to retain certain small devices, (5) possesses a simple, yet scalable, design fabricated of durable, lightweight materials, and (6) may be economically manufactured and sold to provide for widespread use.